Immediate support
Immediate support

PTSD and trauma

A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

A_Tech PTSD for Medical and First Responders
  • replies: 275

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting t... View more

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting to others). Im a 40 year old female that has spent the last 10years in the State Trauma Hospital as an Anaesthetic Technician. My PTSD was brought about after years of exposure to shocking traumas, deaths, and no support from management. I would love to hear from anyone that has a similar story, or just wants to chat. Cheers

All discussions

Start a discussion

kimlip after trying to recover for 10 years i am ready to give up
  • replies: 4

I feel like i know everything there is to know about ptsd. This is not a good thing. This isn't pride. I have been going to counsellors for more than 10 years. Good ones. I can meditate and be mindful. The large block of pain will sometimes dissipate... View more

I feel like i know everything there is to know about ptsd. This is not a good thing. This isn't pride. I have been going to counsellors for more than 10 years. Good ones. I can meditate and be mindful. The large block of pain will sometimes dissipate or go away as i observe it without trying to change it. The tension that developed in my neck won't. It is chronic now. But i can get relief with time and space. But it is not possible to sit 24 hours meditating on my pain. I do not have the means on any normal week. Actually it is clear that the crucial element always missing is that i need social support. I have been trying and failing for maybe 5 years. When i attempted to get my best friend to meet up more often so i could connect more deeply she was angry. "i don't have time" or something. She recently has been lonely and apologised for the way she reacted. But i feel we are past that connection i was trying to forge now. I don't really trust her. I have trouble trusting ppl. I lived 10 years with a genuine sociopath while being helpless. My girlfriend does give me comfort. She is understanding. She also has ptsd. She has an anger problem. She has a time management problem, a drug problem, a resultant money problem and low energy to deal. So her connection is real but her support is very limited. She needs to get help herself but procrastinates on that for obvious reasons. And i am also low on energy when supporting her. People in everyday life are very cruel. I take as compassionate an approach to ppl as possible. Mental illness will not make me sacrifice my values of kindness and understanding. Such an approach to life doesn't eliminate cruel people. It makes it harder to understand people though. I feel very alone. Anyway i don't think i'm depressed. I am very sad, literally alone and mainly, very very anxious. After 2 good days of meditating as I am on winter break i felt very positive. Somehow my nightmares became worse though. Last night i could not will myself to sleep. And now i just feel like this uphill battle is never ending. I don't trust anyone to treat me with as much respect and effort as i treat them. I just don't think a person like me can be happy in this world. There isn't enough space to breathe, feel safe and recover. It isn't really fair that i have to keep enduring this pain for others' sake when no one has really helped me. And yes i have been quite open about my mental illness. It hasn't made a difference at all.

Elizabeth CP Exposure Therapy How it works Advice or others experiences welcome
  • replies: 11

I have started exposure therapy for PTSD. I originally started earlier this year but the lockdown made it impossible to continue. Yesterday the psych showed me pictures then photos, news reports & finally videos. I had to watch the video several time... View more

I have started exposure therapy for PTSD. I originally started earlier this year but the lockdown made it impossible to continue. Yesterday the psych showed me pictures then photos, news reports & finally videos. I had to watch the video several times until it stopped causing high anxiety. I'm supposed to look up similar pictures on the computer at home between appointments. The aim is to become able to cope when I see or hear triggering images or information. Up til now I've been getting worse & then having to escape each time things trigger me which then leads to further avoidance & makes me worse. I would like to hear others experience & ideas to help me

SarahP13 PTSD - strange aftermath/ effect on body - anyone relate?
  • replies: 3

I suffered a severe nervous breakdown last year that turned into a psychosis (brought on by stress not drugs)... I was going through something very intense & couldn’t sleep for weeks because psychosis made me feel like I was dying... since then there... View more

I suffered a severe nervous breakdown last year that turned into a psychosis (brought on by stress not drugs)... I was going through something very intense & couldn’t sleep for weeks because psychosis made me feel like I was dying... since then there have been strange & perplexing changes to my body that have not changed back.... one of them is that alcohol no longer affects me at all?? Previously I could have 2 drinks & feel tipsy - now it doesn’t affect me at all... have tried to drink and experiment with different quantities to no avail... it’s very perplexing... not to use as a crutch but to not be able to experience any effects at all is bizarre? Anyone had this happen to them?

Zoe-PTSD_OCD_MDD_GAD Uncontrollable anger and irritability
  • replies: 6

Hello, My name is Zoe and I am a long term survivor of cPTSD, anxiety, depression and OCD. Lately I have been struggling a great deal with my anger, particularly anger attacks and outbursts of rage. I have a couple of tools I have been given from the... View more

Hello, My name is Zoe and I am a long term survivor of cPTSD, anxiety, depression and OCD. Lately I have been struggling a great deal with my anger, particularly anger attacks and outbursts of rage. I have a couple of tools I have been given from therapy but I feel like I need more tools. I am especially raging out when my carer doesn't do what I nneed them to. He is around me almost 24/7 and I feel suffocated. any tips?

Lil_b PTSD - Domestic Violence - Triggered by the month
  • replies: 2

4 years ago I was physically assaulted by my boyfriend of the time in August. We were together for almost six years, I was 19. Now, at 23, living a wonderful life and for the most part happy (Although still navigating my anxiety) I find myself floode... View more

4 years ago I was physically assaulted by my boyfriend of the time in August. We were together for almost six years, I was 19. Now, at 23, living a wonderful life and for the most part happy (Although still navigating my anxiety) I find myself flooded with memories of him, of the night it happened and memories that never come to surface, until around this time of year, the second it hits the first of August. I am so confused how still four years on, the name of the month can be such a trigger for me, I feel ashamed I am feeling this way, it has been so long now, and yet there he is in my dreams again still haunting me, and unlike my general anxiety, I have no idea what to do with these emotions. Being this sad makes me feel as though he still has ownership of me. Does this happen to other people? A day? Place? Month? That is an instantaneous trigger, and what do people do? Thank you x

Catz12 Always Forgiving People Is A Positive Start To The Day
  • replies: 1

Hello, Apparently, it has been said that regular and vigorous exercise creates a 'high' feeling in the brain. So, if you ever experience bouts of depression, then go out for a walk or do some exercise. Sunlight also can help people feel better too. S... View more

Hello, Apparently, it has been said that regular and vigorous exercise creates a 'high' feeling in the brain. So, if you ever experience bouts of depression, then go out for a walk or do some exercise. Sunlight also can help people feel better too. So, get plenty of that. Apart from these things that alleviate depression, keeping life's stresses to a minimum can improve your lifestyle, and keep depression at bay. A further technique that keeps you in a positive mood state is hanging around people who smile and laugh more than negative people. In mindfulness, it is recommended that you keep away from negative people. Then, it will be easier to be happy.

Rhianna_n Scared, anxious and angry
  • replies: 1

Hi there, Two months ago my ex fiancé held me against my will in our bathroom and threatened to take his life. I’d never felt so scared and trapped in my whole life, and I feel like I’m only now starting to process it. I had no idea how to counteract... View more

Hi there, Two months ago my ex fiancé held me against my will in our bathroom and threatened to take his life. I’d never felt so scared and trapped in my whole life, and I feel like I’m only now starting to process it. I had no idea how to counteract the situation, so I stayed with him and tried calming him down for over an hour. I managed to escape with what he was threatening his life with and I was able to return him to the care of his parents. What kills me is that, without knowing this particular situation, his family and friends blamed me. All I did was help him, and it frustrates me to no end that I was blamed, and I still get frowned upon, for assisting him in a situation where we were both vulnerable. My ex has always been troubled and has a tendency to threaten suicide when he feels overwhelmed, which others are well aware of because they warned me about it. I care for him and I want him to get better, but I’m dealing with my own emotional fragility and I’m starting to spiral downwards again. Last year I was diagnosed with PTSD. I’d been feeling better up until that night and now I’m worried I’m slowly retreating back into that angry, scared and anxious person. I’m thinking about that night more often and I suffer from really bad panic attacks. I’d really like to connect with others who may understand this particular situation. I just really need to reach out as I can’t see a counsellor at the moment, but would like to as soon as I can.

Seeta No more hope
  • replies: 44

I feel disgusting talking about it but I’m really suffering at the moment. I have been through a lot in my life including the loss of my parents, the loss of a loved one, sexual abuse, family violence and right now an abusive relationship. Also, once... View more

I feel disgusting talking about it but I’m really suffering at the moment. I have been through a lot in my life including the loss of my parents, the loss of a loved one, sexual abuse, family violence and right now an abusive relationship. Also, once the pandemic started, I felt sick and had all the symptoms of the Covid but there was no place that would test me for it. After doing an X-ray, they found viral infection in my lung but I couldn’t get the thought of having the virus out of my mind. Ever since my mental health has been awful. At 24 I feel like this is the end of the world for me, I have a beautiful little daughter who is very cheerful and loving but being a mum with mental disorder makes me feel sick about myself. I can’t think, I can’t sleep, I can’t find anything that makes me happy and I can’t get out of the house or my anxiety will kill me. I am currently also doing a degree at uni which is another burden for now . I feel like I can’t recognise many people anymore and everything seems unfamiliar for me. The doctor has put me on antidepressants which hasn’t worked as of now but I’m hoping that it will. I’m also seeing a psychologist who is the sweetest person I have even known. I feel very hopeless and worthless at the moment. My partner is no help at all as he believes mental illness doesn’t exist and that we make our mind to always think negative. I’m constantly told many negative things including that I am worthless, lazy, mental and that I have grown in hell. The only reason I’m here today is because of my daughter.

Limpy Suffering so many problems...
  • replies: 8

Hi,I suffer from anxiety, stress,and depression, pstd,just to name a few. Most of these come from being in an physical and emotional abusive relationship.This I still carry with me even though I lefted this person who did horrible, horrible things,I ... View more

Hi,I suffer from anxiety, stress,and depression, pstd,just to name a few. Most of these come from being in an physical and emotional abusive relationship.This I still carry with me even though I lefted this person who did horrible, horrible things,I have tried to put all this behind me,him being a addict was the reason that I was subjected to a living night mare.I had got help from women's support and even had an avo done,just to feel safe,truly believe that there are people who care.But,growing up with an a abusive parent just made me feel like I didn't mean much,so having to try and cope with being abuse almost most of my life,has taking it toll on me, I have seeked both medical help and counselling to no avail.I feel so alone with this. I have family but not near to spend time.this is where I will leave my story for now.It has been hard for me to write as I have trust issues with people,however, I wish to say thank you for allowing me to express myself here.Limpy.

Guest_1211 Dealing with triggers at work etc... past abuse
  • replies: 4

I’m really struggling as a teacher who has to constantly (well periodically, but feels like all the time) update and complete compliance regarding child safety. I know how important it is. I know why we do it etc. I just find it so triggering and so ... View more

I’m really struggling as a teacher who has to constantly (well periodically, but feels like all the time) update and complete compliance regarding child safety. I know how important it is. I know why we do it etc. I just find it so triggering and so difficult to complete. I just don’t know how to deal with all the pain, feelings and flashbacks it brings. how do others here deal with this kind of thing?